1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to a fabric softening detergent composition. More particularly, it relates to such a composition in particulate form, which may be employed directly or in a fabric softening detersive article, comprising such a composition in a permeable container, such as a flexible pouch, through permeable walls of which composition components are transportable to wash water during automatic washing machine washing of laundry.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior to the present invention it was known to make particulate built nonionic synthetic organic detergent compositions, and several such products have been commercially marketed, including All.RTM. and Fresh Start.RTM.. Also, fabric softening cationic compounds, such as quaternary ammonium halides, have been known to be useful as fabric softening agents, and have been included in liquids, such as Downy.RTM., intended for treatment of laundry in washing machine rinse water, and in papers, such as Bounce.RTM., for use in automatic laundry dryers. Despite generally undesirable interactions of quaternary ammonium halides with anionic detergents and/or alkaline builders, heavy duty laundry detergents, such as Fab.RTM. (with fabric softener) and Bold.RTM.-3, have been marketed, apparently with additional detergent and softener being included in the formula to compensate for any losses due to such undesirable reactions.
Silicones, siliconates and organosilicones have been taught in the literature to be useful components of detergent compositions, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,013,573, 4,136,045 and 4,419,250, for various purposes, including soil release promotion, suds suppression and flow promotion. Additionally, some silicones have been suggested for employment with antistatic agents in antistatic detergent compositions, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,332, others have been taught to be useful lubricants for fibers, sometimes in combination with detergents, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,116, and others have been suggested for use as fabric softeners, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,964.
Silicone glycol copolymers like those employed in the present invention are sold by Dow Corning Corporation, which designates such materials as their 190 Surfactant. Such materials are described in an information bulletin published by Dow Corning Corporation and indicated to have been copyrighted in 1980, which is entitled Information about Cosmetic Ingredients. Such materials are also identified as dimethicone copolyol (CTFA name) and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,192, hereby incorporated by reference.
With respect to the preferred article embodiments of the invention, single use packets of detergent compositions and bleaches are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,220,153, 4,286,016, 4,348,293, 4,374,747, 4,410,441 and 4,567,675; British Pat. Nos. 1,578,951, and 1,587,650; and European Pat. No. 0,184,261, but applicants' solution to the problems of effectively softening, lowering residue and eliminating quat spotting (staining of laundry with greasy spots from the quaternary salt) is not suggested by any of them.
Although the silicone glycol copolymers of the present compositions are not new per se, and although silicones have been employed in detergent compositions in the past and are known to have lubricating and, in some circumstances, fabric softening properties, the invented compositions and articles are not obvious from the prior art because nowhere in the art is it indicated or suggested that in detergent compositions, like those of this invention, the presence of the mentioned silicone glycol copolymer will increase the fabric softening activity of a fabric softening cationic compound component, which allows a reduction to be made in the quantity of such compound in the detergent composition while still producing satisfactory fabric softening, which reduction, in turn, facilitates emptying of the fabric softening detergent composition from a permeable container, such as a permeable pouch in which it was packed, and which was charged to an automatic washing machine to effect machine washing and fabric softening of laundry. Because the pouch has been emptied of cationic compound such is not present in the pouch when it is placed in a dryer with the washed and rinsed laundry, so quat spotting is prevented.